>> that dark smoke behind you, neil. thanks to you. ginger zee is tracking this fire for us. you were telling me the fire is close to yosemite and the park is not in the clear yet. >> not at all. they have the try foilage. it's all of the west. 50 large wildfires in nine states out west dealing with this. lightning as neil mentioned a huge issue. that's why we have red flag warnings. i want to show you who has this. see that low pressure system. that's part of the issue. kicking off gusty winds and over 4400 lightning strikes starting 45 new fires just in california. >> ginger, thanks to you as always. we turn overseas to syria and the stunning numbers tonight we heard from the state department, potentially more than in the latest possible chemical attacks, the world still studying those disturbing images, the victims, women and children of this attack. this evening that disturbing

headline from washington about what we could be looking at now. unespecially inspector are facing huge hurdles to determine if chemicals weapons were, in fact, used. >> reporter: it's a terrible and urgent task. tonight the u.s. and un racing to find out whether chemical weapons killed these men, women and children. just how many died? today a shocking new number from opposition groups revealed in issue washington. >> the most recent sometimes we've seen range from 1,000 to 1800 which is a broad range. >> reporter: the assad regime says the claims that it carried out a chemical attack are baseless. as un investigators beg for access to the site, the evidence may be quickly dissipating. david, tonight president obama

has directed the intelligence community to do everything possible to find additional information about this suspected attack, but we don't know what the u.s. response would be. david? >> martha raddatz with us again tonight. thank you. also new word this evening on americans now believed to have joined the fight on the ground in syria potentially helping terrorist groups there. could those americans, in fact, pose a threat to our homeland. our senior justice correspondent sat down with robert muller today. we know muller is about to step down after 12 years. if your interview he was expressing concern about americans on the ground in syria? >> the fbi director is concerned about radicals who have gone to fight including members of al qaeda and he said there is intelligence americans may have joined them. >> you are concerned about what they number one the associations they will make and secondly the expertise they will develop and whether or not they will utilize that expertise to undertake an

attack in the homeland. >> you asked what still keeps him up at night and what did he tell you. >> reporter: he was blunt as always. he worries about terrorists taking on a plane with a bomb or using biological or chemical weapons. he said those threats are very, very real. >> pierre thomas with us from our washington bureau, thank you. from syria to the breaking images from egypt tonight where after more than two years behind bars, former president hosni mubarak was let out of prison, taken away in a helicopter. our abc news team was on the ground in cairo as they pushed him from power. we all member that moment in the square as supporters with whips rode in an camels and horse back targeting the protestors. not long after this image around the world of mubarak disgraced in a cage in this courtroom. tonight the eyes of egypt and the world were on that helicopter, mubarak being whisked away to a military

hospital. mohammed morsi, in prison instead. back at home to an american who shared secrets before edward snowden and the nsa. bradley manning leaked the top secret documents, just sentenced to 35 years behind bars this week, tonight revealing he wants to live behind bars as a woman. the military responding to that request. here's jim avila. >> reporter: bradley manning had one more secret to tell, the small statured man in the army greens is actually a woman inside. those pictures of him cross dressing shown at trial were real and not a defense tactic. in a letter released today, manning wrote, as i transition into this next phase of my life, i want everyone to know the real me. i am chelsea manning. i am a female. manning wants to be called she and begin the transformation immediately. given the way that i feel and

have felt since childhood, i want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. that may be difficult because at fort levin worth where he's to serve a 35 year sentence for releasing 700,000 documents to wikileaks, the military does not offer that type of treatment but his attorney vows to fight. >> i'm going to change that. >> reporter: the attorneys first demonstrated their client's feeling about being a woman during the pre-trial hearings. he called himself brianna back then t today it reads chelsea. to the teenager kidnapped and rescued from the woods, hannah anderson. we had learned about the dozen text messages sent back and forth with the kidnapper in the hours before it unfolded. tonight she reveals what those text messages were about and the letter she exchanged with the kidnapper, too. here's abc's linsey davis

tonight. >> reporter: she was kidnapped, her mother and brother tortured and killed. now a little more than a week after her rescue, 16-year-old hannah anderson seen by so many as a victim, feels the need to defend herself. in an interview broadcast on nbc news, she are explained why she had written letters to jim dimaggio who she had known as uncle jim. >> the letters were from a year ago when me and my mom weren't getting well. he helped me through it. >> reporter: as for the 13 phone exchanges with dimaggio the day of her abduction, she says they weren't phone calls but text messages because he was picking her up from cheerleading camp and dependent know where to find her. as the community comes together for the funeral of her mother and brother, she expresses gratitude. >> i know it helped people find me. with everyone's support it can help a lot. >> reporter: her hope now, that

people won't see her as a victim but as a survivor instead. linsey davis, abc news, new york. to boston tonight, new developments in the case of the former football star charged with murder in massachusetts. former new england patriot aaron hernandez didn't speak but mouthed the words i love to to his mother. he was indicted by a grand jury. he's being held without bail and remains in solitary confinement. to a case playing out in san diego tonight involving the mayor there. all week protestors putting pressure on the may to resign after the sexual harassment scandal. one protester taking to the air writing, surrender, bob, across the sky. tonight a new image giving us a clue about what the disgraced mayor may be planning next. abc's ryan owens on the case again. >> reporter: mayor filner, are

you going to resign? it may finally be over. mayor bob filner loading boxes into his suv outside city hall last night. >> good to see you guys. >> reporter: affiliate kgtv has learned mayor filner is prepared fo resign tomorrow if the city council signs off on a deal. the 70-year-old is accused of sexually harassing 18 women. >> a hand that went to my but tok and i was shocked. >> reporter: many don't want taxpayers to pay him another cent. >> his parting gift should be good riddance instead of a handout. >> reporter: especially according to his critics because he's become such a punch line. some voters want him recalled before he can quit. they say resignation is too easy for a man who has embarrassed america's 8th largest city.

ryan owens, abc news, san diego. now to the breaking headline we've been following all day from wall street. real concern today when commuters suddenly froze, stocks halted, no one knew what was happening at the nasdaq as americans and their 401(k), their retirements were for a time frozen for three hours. you were telling me this is unprecedented. >> this is something we've never seen before. in companies most people own in their retirement savings apple, google, microsoft, facebook, all of these companies ceased to trade for three hours today. much of that time was spent trying to determine just why that was. very little information coming out. they've traced it to a technical problem but we don't know why that happened. >> we know there was a fear that this was a potential terror threat, a possible hacker. the fbi director told abc news this is the kind of thing that keeps him up at night. >> this is why the president was

notified, the s.e.c., the treasury all watching this situation to determine exactly where it goes. there is a very real cyber threat and if it impacts our markets it could impact people's lives. >> we should mention when it was all over the nasdaq closed up 38 points today. the dow was up 66 points. no money was lost but real nerves were tested on wall street this afternoon. much more ahead on "world news" this thursday night. look at these trees this evening. this is no sci-fi thriller, this is the real thing in an american town, a massive sij hole. what caused it. breaking a husband overboard, lost at sea, just found, survived 18 hours, no life vest, how did he do it? [ male announcer ] this is claira. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for her, she's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with her all day to see how it goes. [ claira ] after the deliveries, i was okay.

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vanishing into the hole. it's more than a football field deep. it's near an old salt mine. workers were using water to dissolve and pump out the salt deep underground and eventually pumped out enough to make the ground give way. now the earth slowly moves into the cavern causing growing sink holes above. >> it's going to continue to grow until it finds a point where it can support itself. >> reporter: the sink hole appeared a year ago. 150 house holds were evacuated and the state is suing the company that mined the salt. sink holes are system and often occur naturally. this one in downtown gal mall la city was big enough to swallow the statue of liberty. most of the state sits on porous limestone. >> it burns through the rock. we're talking hundreds of thousands of years. >> reporter: this sink hole near

orlando forces dozens to evacuate. another one in florida earlier this year turned deadly, killing this man as he laid sleeping in bed. perhaps there is no greater visual of a sink hole's destructive power than this. when we come back breaking tonight, an amazing tale of survival, a man tossed overboard and a pop star who surprised an entire flight. he didn't say this is your capital speaking. he sang instead when we come back. going all the way down my leg. it was very painful situation. i'm very athletic and i swim in the ocean. shingles forced me out of the water. the doctor asked me "did you have chickenpox when you were a child?" the pain level was so high, it became unbearable.

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and a 30-tablet free trial. . >> our "instant index" tonight starts with an amazing survival tale. a man set out on a solo fishing trip in the gulf of mexico. three hours later he texted his wife this picture but that was last she heard from him. by 8:30 at night she called the police. rescue crews searched by air and sea. at 4:00 in the morning they found him without a life vest treading water, 18 hours later found and a wife relieved tonight. something families who welcomed a puppy to their home can relate to. president obama revealing puppy sunny. >> not completely potty trained. >> saying to the folks there he's not completely potty

trained. no word whether he's allowed into the oval office. passengers on board a flight from phoenix to los angeles got quite a surprise. look who showed up and sang a tune. ♪ >> pop star gavin degraw in an impromtu serenade, surprising passengers at 35,000 feet with a concert, something they do when they have stars on board the plane. gavin isn't the only one singing this week. i'm back tonight after sitting down with superstar alicia keys and tomorrow night you'll see the amazing project she's working and you'll hear the song she's singing to me and why she chose that song. if you have any guesses send me a tweet. a father and son we all know well here, put to the test tonight and what they did wrong that so many of us do on those trips with the children and

grandchildren. how to get that cash back. accomplishing even little things can become major victories. i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. when i was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, my rheumatologist prescribed enbrel for my pain and stiffness, and to help stop joint damage. [ male announcer ] enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders, and allergic reactions have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. you should not start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have symptoms such as persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. since enbrel helped relieve my joint pain, it's the little things that mean the most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists.

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we've all made before. >> reporter: my little boy milo and i are spending the day at the world famous fishermen's wharf and and making some classic tourist mistakes, spending too much and not seeing the real san francisco. i need a knight in shining armor and here he is. >> the trap is getting stuck and not knowing where to go and following the crowds that don't know where they're going. >> john's rule number one to avoid that fate. >> ask yourself the question, what's two streets over. >> sure enough a secret passage way to a real wharf. later we jumped a cable car two streets over from the main tourist line. no crowds. they even let milo ring the bell. onto rule number two. >> leave the tourist attraction and follow the locals to lunch.

>> is it real cheaper? we bought two bottles of water at fisherman's wharf. >> how much is that? >> $4.89. >> then followed the localed to lunch. >> the water is only a dollar a bottle. we bought two cable cars today. the one at the wharf was $9. the time we wasted, the money we spent getting there, just plane not worth it. sometimes it's okay to wall oh, in the tourist hot spot just for a little. nick watt abc news san francisco. >> always follow the locals. our thanks to nick and milo who looked good ringing that bell. for diane and all of us, have a good night. [ male announcer ] now you can get a kindle fire hd,

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on "the list," don't wipe that grin off your face. really. it won't come off. a smile can now last forever. and could credit card fees be piling up whether you travel? how do you know if you're going to get charged. plus, howthis bad boy turned his life around with a job at a nail salon? hey, everyone. it's thursday. i'm teresa strausser and you're on "the list." we searched the world, your e-mails, phone calls and text messages looking for the news you need to know. oh wait. that's the nsa. but we did still find the top five stories you ought to be talking about. >> i'm matt gallant. more proof men and women are different and this time the evidence is down and dirty. >> ooh, i hope you changed the sheets. >> if you're a dude, that's not likely. a survey found single men on average wash their sheets just four times a year.

now, don't think of them as dirty. think of them as seasoned. as in, washed once a season. survey also found that single ladies change their sheets 26 times a year, about every two weeks. so guys, if your sheets can walk away on their own, do something. nearly a fifth of single men said a perspective partner told them they were disgusted by the rancid sheets. that's why i buy my sheets in taupe or gray. at number two, when a smartphone is a sneaky phone. guys, if you're a philanderer, nation sheets might be the worst of your issues. an outrage swept australia as tens of millions of women downloaded an app, boyfriend tracker. you track your partner's location and secretly call in to the phone to listen in on their conversation. plus, it's forwarding you their text messages. >> see you hide from me now, little man. >> after complaints of privacy

rights, google removed boyfriend tracker from the play store and similar apps do still exist. cheating men, stop it or leave the smartphone at church. >> number three, say cheese and then hold it forever. >> smile! >> how would you like to make that smile really last? now you can with south korea's new plastic surgery trend. the smile lips which gives you the appearance of a permanent smile. somewhere between an emoticon and a beauty pageant runner-up. here's a recreation of what i would look like and matt. i think we'll pass. but hey, i guess resting smily face is better than permanent stink eye. >> the way the face looks, just her face. >> number four, you 'll be telling me lady gaga gave perez hilton a kidney? >> am i the only one who thinks

this is a bad idea? >> the lab saved the life of his arch enemy. a cat. >> not found in the book. >> the vet used 120 millimeters of the young pup's blood. within an hour, rory was up and purring. >> not out fetching the newspaper or peeing on power poles or backing it but he's just a normal kit playful, friendly. >> how will rory say thank you? oh, we've got an idea. >> tickle your foot with it? >> no. that's just a myth. oh! oh boy! that's it. >> at number five, proof that no one likes to get on a scale. >> congratulations, mr. simms. you are the fattest boy in camp. >> doctors want people to keep an eye on the weight and now happening to animals, too. check out the weigh-in at the london zoo. tigers, frogs, snails and the owls. >> if they get too